Weekend Warm-Up | 2026 Dutch Grand Prix

Well, here we go. Formula One is back for the second half of the season and Zandvoort is our stage for one final time at this great circuit. The Dutch Grand Prix always providing a brilliant party atmosphere and it's going out with a bang. It's a sprint weekend. We've had some big breaking news today as well. Shall we get into it? Here we go then. Welcome along to Weekend and welcome down to the paddock. It feels good to say that after a three-week, four-week break away from Formula One, we are well and truly back and I'm delighted to have Jolyon Palmer, Alex Brundle and Laurence Barreto here to build up to the Dutch Grand Prix and also reflect on all the news that we have seen so far, not just today but this week as well. Firstly though, lads, how were your summer breaks? Yeah, it was very nice. I managed to brush up on my paddle. I found a beach. I knew you'd be playing paddles. Straight away, straight away after Hungary. But I'm recharged. I'm ready to go, Laura. Love that. Alex Brundle? In an utterly unpredictable way, I holidayed at a variety of British race circuits before thinking about the final ever Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the final scheduled one, and working through that. So yeah, raucous scenes, raucous scenes. I'd imagine you're just poring over numbers the entire time, not taking an inch. You're putting the others to shame here. Not far away from it, not far away from it. Laurence, did you have any time off? I moved house and I got a bit of golf in, but there was really some whispers in the driving market that were kind of starting to flurry even while the boys were on holiday, so trying to keep on top of that heading into this weekend in Zandvoort. Oh, brilliant stuff. Alex, you say you've been poring over the numbers and poring over all that is here at the Dutch Grand Prix, yet when I asked you earlier for your expert opinion on the weather outlook for the weekend, you told me it might rain or it might not. It's a 50-50, we don't know, which is a useless answer. Look, it's an opinion. It definitely has rained today. It might rain tomorrow. It probably won't on Saturday and Sunday, that's all I can give you. Any more, boys, from what you've seen from the weather forecast? Actually, it's pretty similar to what Alex said, so I shouldn't go against the forecaster here. So will we see wet weather running then for these 26 cars for the first time, Joleon? I don't think we'll see it in the meat of the weekend. We might see it a little bit tomorrow, but it's been really windy as well. We're on the beach and the wind just really whips up. So it could be sandy around the circuit like we had in Hungary and even without, it really channels through the dunes here. So I think, you know, weather can play a part whether it rains or not. Yeah, absolutely. I'm super excited for this one and the excitement has built all week. This morning, the big news dropped. We've been asking, haven't we, over and over, where will Max Verstappen's future lie? A sabbatical? Retirement? Another team? He's answered that question today and it's with Red Bull until 2030. He was asked earlier on in the press conference if it was an easy decision to stay. Yeah, I mean, it wasn't really too stressful. I think it was the right call. I feel really good within the team and, yeah, we have a lot of belief that, you know, we can, yeah, let's say, get back to the top in the coming years. For me, this feels like one big family, so I'm just very happy to be a part of that and, of course, over the last few months, you talk about the team moving forward, the coming years, plans, ideas, so it's always been, yeah, communicated to me in a very open way and that's what I like and I like what they're trying to achieve and that's why I also want to be part of it in the future. No other teams? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, does it? Well, not to me, so. I always said already back in the day when Dietrich was still alive, I said to him my goal and target would be, of course, to race for Red Bull forever, so we are on the good way. Is there any exit clause in your new contract? I mean, I've never disclosed anything in my contract, so, yeah, that stays the same. For me, you know, Checo, I'll tell you after, on a dinner or whatever. Can I go now? Love that. The good relationship remaining there between Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, of course, former team mates. I would love to know some details about the contract. Do we think there's an exit clause? How much financial benefit do we think this is to Max Verstappen? Healthy, but, you know, the guy was already on a huge amount of money. He was the highest paid, I think, anyway on the grid, so it's not about the money. It's about him securing a place where he feels comfortable. He obviously does at Red Bull. I don't think the opportunities were actually rife up and down the rest of the field because they're all quite happy with their current lineups. The McLaren guys are locked in, Mercedes guys seem to be locked in as well, and we know that the Ferrari are happy with Charles getting an extension as well. So, for Max, it seems obvious to stay at Red Bull another couple of years. The question then is, what about the clauses to get out depending on what happens in the future? That's what people were talking about originally, but at the start of a new one, I think it's pretty premature to talk about them right now. It seems like he's staying put for a while. Almost every driver contract has some sort of clause which will allow you to move whether or not it's performance-based on the team, if it's performance-based on the driver as well. So, I've got no reason to believe that in Max's contract, four years that he'll be there for the two years additional, that there won't be that kind of clause. Because obviously, he knows his worth, and I think that he went into those negotiations knowing how badly Red Bull wanted to sign him. He obviously knew that there were limited options, like Jolyon said, in the other top teams, but I think Red Bull wanted him more, and I think from that basis, they would give him those clauses, and then they will go and try and give him the best car possible so that he doesn't go and enact those in the years to come. The press release... Oh, go ahead, go ahead. All of that notwithstanding though, I think it's a pretty important vindication, isn't it, of Red Bull under Mechies from Max Verstappen. And, you know, with everything that's been going on at Red Bull, a bit of a brain drain over the last couple of years, losing personnel, and all of the rest, it couldn't have gone much better, that interplay for Lauren Mechies and the team. And the press release earlier on, there were words like, this is my second home, this is my second family, the continuation is what really mattered, and vice versa from Red Bull, saying that Max is more than just a driver within that team. He's an influential figure, he lives and breathes Red Bull racing. A lovely line there in the press conference about Dietrich as well. It would have felt incredibly odd to see him go elsewhere, wouldn't it? But how will this affect the rest of the driver market? He's been there a decade, for more than a third of his life, he has been a Formula One driver with Red Bull, so no wonder it feels like home for him. Also, on Max, he's been on the podium, it should have been four of the last four races, had he not gone off at Silverstone. It should have been six of the last seven as well, with Monaco obviously being a front row start. So, again, vindication for where they're at, the project, new power unit, it's actually coming on pretty well, and I think they could well win a race, certainly before the end of the year, if not soon, with the way that Max is performing again. For the rest of the driver market, kind of, it rules out a lot of options for a lot of people at the top of the grid. There's a few other slots further back, Racing Bulls still needs to be decided, Solov's obviously looking pretty good in Formula Two, those two know that there's a bit of pressure coming there and there's a big weekend for them. Haas, potential opportunities, Ocon under pressure, Bottas maybe under pressure at Cadillac, but in terms of the big seats, I think it settles a lot of questions. Yeah, Alonso's future still to be decided as well, but as you were saying earlier, Lawrence perhaps expected to stay, we'll come on to that, but Red Bull have been in the news quite a bit this week, haven't they? Because not just are we seeing Max Verstappen cementing his future within the team, but Isaac Hadjart, what has happened there? A wrist injury has ruled him out of the Dutch Grand Prix, we wish him all the best and hope he gets better, but a disaster for him. Yeah, it's a real shame for Hadjart, who has been in Q3 for every race this season, every Grand Prix qualifying, and has been performing really well in the second Red Bull seat. Unfortunately, his damaged wrist means Liam Lawson is going to be moved into that Red Bull seat, and Yuki Tsunoda is going to be brought back into the RB seat, and I think that's the correct move. I was looking around at the other options they could do. As the Formula 2 commentator, I was dreaming for Nikola Solov to get an opportunity, but he doesn't have the super license points to be able to compete. I think that's the right arrangement of drivers and probably what I would have done in the circumstances. It's a stinker for Hadjart, though. Obviously, we hope he recovers quickly. He was on the podium here last year, he tailed Max the whole way in the racing bulls car, so this would have been one that he really had his eye on for another podium. It's a big opportunity for Lawson, I think, to step up. He's been driving really well this year, points nearly every race, he's missed three of them so far, but that's a huge return, 43 points so far. He gets to go again alongside Max at Red Bull, and he's got a chance to, it's a sprint weekend obviously, so he's going to come up quickly, but with a bit of knowledge to know that he's going to be there and understand their processes and make a better job of it. When I sat down with Hadjart in Belgium, knowing he was starting at the back of the grid, already had Zandvoort in his mind, and now he's not here. Gutting for him, but let's hear from the two men who will be driving this weekend, Liam Lawson and the return of Yuki Tsunoda. It's obviously not what I expected to come into this weekend, but it's a good opportunity. We've had quite a good season so far this year, so for me I'm just focused on trying to continue that this weekend, although it's in a different car, but that's what I'm focused on. When I heard I was half excited, half still doubtful because anything can happen, but it's something that I was super excited to. Once I arrived here, it's all confirmed and racing this weekend, so I'm super excited. Physically, I'm feeling ready. I've done so much, a couple of TPCs testing with the previous car. It'll be the first time for this car, but still very excited. Huge opportunities for both here in terms of their careers, not least for Yuki Tsunoda making his return to the grid after losing out on his seat last year. How much of an uphill challenge is this? You come to Zandvoort, it's a sprint weekend and you're put in different cars. For Yuki Tsunoda, you're back in a car after nine months away. It's huge for Yuki because these 2026 spec cars need to be driven differently and he hasn't driven one yet. He's only got one practice session to get used to it before he goes straight into sprint quali. I talked to him afterwards and he was just like, well, this is perfect timing for me personally, though, because it's his last chance to learn to try and get a seat back on the grid for next year. The timing is perfect because they haven't decided what's going to happen with Racing Bulls next year. It's really maybe his only last chance to show the team whatever job he does this weekend, just in the way that he handles himself, whether or not they should maybe try and back him again for next year. Look, we don't know the extent of Hajar's injury either, so we don't know whether or not he'll be back in time for the next race at Monza. So I think obviously the focus is do well this weekend, but you don't know what opportunities are going to come up in the next race or two. I hope Yuki Tsunoda has been keeping it up in the gym because it's eight and a half months since he last started a Grand Prix and this is not this is not an easy track physically. I'm sure he is absolutely ready to jump in the car as a reserve driver for Red Bull, but it's going to be a tough weekend to get your head around the systems and also the physicality of these cars. I think the mental side of it's going to be insane for him. You know, the rest of the drivers had three tests before we had the first race, bar Williams, who didn't turn up for the first one. But, you know, they had so much time to figure out energy management, the different driving styles. Yuki's got to do that in one hour. He's driven some TPC, so that's old cars, but he hasn't driven this one and they are so different really compared to the last car that he'd raced. So to figure that out and then head into a sprint, you've got qualifying already tomorrow and you're on Zandvoort where you've got walls and gravel traps lining the circuit. It's really, really a big test. So if he gets near the points, I will be impressed with Yuki. Sand dunes and banking and the lot on a sprint weekend to boot. Big challenge ahead for Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson getting used to that Red Bull car once again as well. Williams must have thought they had the big news coming into today, signing both drivers, re-signing both drivers and then Max Verstappen went, nope, on home soil. I think I'm going to just announce a massive contract extension. Thank you. But we're still interested in Williams. So let's hear what we have to say from Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. I spent a lot of time at Grove. I've moved my family house closer by just so my commute's a little bit easier. So, yeah, you know, I spent a long time here and got to know the people, the board more and more. And, you know, it's no secret as well, we're struggling together. This is not just being selfish on this spot. We're looking at this as a whole and, yeah, more energy, more effort being put to make sure this doesn't happen again. I think for me, I said it two years ago when I said I'm committed to this project. I wanted to show also commitment. The team is going through a very difficult moment right now. And the last thing I wanted also is to keep people wondering or entertained whether I'm going to stay or not stay when I'm committed to the project and when it's obviously not part of my character to jump ships or leave a project in the middle of a bad moment. And obviously, we all know and we all realize next year is super important for all of us. If we are serious about trying to get back to the top, we need to do a very clear step after the bump that we're hitting this year. And it's in everyone's minds and effort now to put the focus in 27 and see how we can turn this around. Significant signing for both drivers then extending their time at Williams, a year extension for Alex Albon through 27, multi-year for Carlos Sainz. Lawrence, what significance is there to this? What does that mean? Well, I think the greatest significance is really that James Valves has managed to keep both of them. So I think it's a shot in the arm for the project because obviously they failed this year. They were P5 last year in the Constructors' Championship. They expected to kick on and they didn't. So the fact that he's been able to keep hold of both of them is really good for him. I think the board will be impressed he's managed to do that. I think from Carlos' perspective, he's obviously gone for this multi-year deal, whereas Alex has only gone for the one year. There will be more money involved in that. There'll be more greater commitment on that side of things. But I think the team has really seen what he's been able to bring to them and he's really seen what he's been able to do with this project. I think he's quite enjoying it. He's only 32 years old. He knows he's still got time on his side. And I think he still quite fancies trying to be part of this Williams project, this Williams revival. I think with Alex, he wanted to keep his options open, frankly. And I think at the end of 2027, that will give him some options into 28, when the driver market should open up quite significantly. Undoubtedly, because of the way that Williams have not just started, but actually this entire season has unraveled for them. And even though they do have, yes, that upgrade coming in Baku, actually, the team are keen to point out it's not going to be a shot in the arm. It's not going to be the silver bullet that's going to solve everything. Already, they're looking ahead to 2027. Securing these two drivers, having this continuity, this must be relieving some of the pressure on James Vowles, surely, on what has been a torrid year. It's been horrible. They've had so many problems. The drivers are not the problem. They've obviously got a very good lineup. So having the same guys into next year is good. But I think we'll see what happens in Baku when this upgrade package comes and if they can alleviate some of the pressure. Because it's one thing saying we'll focus on next year, but they've been saying 26 is the big year for so long. And when you've flopped this heavily with a Mercedes power unit, it is a coup then to keep Carlos. I think they've had to dig out another little chunk on their checkbook to make him stay, because this isn't what he signed up for, to be running at the back. But they've managed to do that. They can focus on improving the car and not have to spin plates trying to keep the drivers happy at the moment. But as with the immediate question to Max Verstappen, yeah, the contracts have been signed. But what kind of improvement are those two drivers expecting from Williams so that they, in effect, stay signed or stay locked in? They must have break clauses in if Williams can't move forward. Yeah, for sure. And vaguely speaking of team principles, as I was about James Vowles, Cadillac, that was the big news last week that came in. Graham Loudon out, not a mutual decision. That was a decision from Dan Tarras himself. And the man on your screen right now, Martin Bukowski, is in. He has some CV in Formula 1, doesn't he? Aerodynamic background, spent time with the FIA, spent time at Renault, spent time at McLaren, Ferrari. He's done the rounds. He's done a bit of media as well. What can he bring to Cadillac? But equally, how much of a blow is this for Loudon and why? Oh, it's really tough on Loudon because he obviously started from scratch, put this team together, got two cars on the grid in Australia and to the level where Cadillac have been respectable this year. Yeah, OK, the reliability has been tough, but they've been a really respectable proposition. So it's tough on him. And he was only told on the morning of the announcement that Martin was going to be taken over as team principal. So that's tough on him. From the team side and from Dan Tarras' side, we've seen this trend in Formula 1 of a move towards more technical-led team principles. And I think that's where he feels Cadillac will be able to make bigger steps more quickly. I know they keep saying publicly they will take time to achieve success, but they have got a limited amount of patience and I think they just wanted to speed things up, frankly. So I think that's what they've done. They've brought Martin in. He's got McLaren experience, Ferrari experience, Alpine experience, and he's got that engineering background. I think they're hoping he can come in and really identify the pain points within the team very quickly and then try and make those changes. He's got a background in aerodynamics, but also I think critically as well has taken organisational roles and budget allocation roles in Formula 1 teams, which is such a big part of driving evolution of performance in this era. I mean, Graham Loudon is a brilliant startup guy. He started up racing teams all over the world, and I think he's a very good team manager. I've driven for him myself. But I think that they were looking for, well, in fact, Dan Tarras said, we're looking for a performance phase, and that's what this change is all about. And a technical figure in that team principal role, as we can see a trend generally through the paddock. You look at the likes of McLaren with Andrea Stella and Zach Brown, for example. We'll be speaking to Martin Bukowski this weekend. You'll also hear from James Vowles and many more across the Dutch Grand Prix. It feels a while ago, and we've gone through all the breaking news. So let's take a look back then at what happened last time out. Here is your hungry race recap. Welcome to Budapest. Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton dock three places. Front row is Charles Leclerc next to Lando Norris. And the Hungarian Grand Prix is underway. Horse start for George Russell out front. McLaren versus McLaren. Much a step into P3. Lando Norris, he's wide. Oscar Piastri, he's going through. Lewis Hamilton comes into the pit, and he will go on to fresh rubber. And this is a critical out lap for him. Does Verstappen now pit and cover off Hamilton? In comes Verstappen. It's going to be a slick stop then from Red Bull. The Scarlet Ferrari is approaching. Hamilton gets the apex first and takes the position. Verstappen from nowhere, from miles. Well, that was quite special. Piastri will get some new tires to go pushing. Piastri is in a nightmare of traffic. Piastri has contact with the Williams. Unbelievable. Oh my God. Lando Norris looking for that clean stop. And it will be plain fury for Oscar Piastri. Norris wants that Grand Prix victory, and he has the race lead. Oscar Piastri is slowing from second place. The virtual safety car is out. Lewis Hamilton, he's in as well. Look for the white line. Did Antonelli get there? Well, I think I was ahead. And he chooses to give back the place. Hamilton, a five second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. And that penalty is like crazy. This weekend has been Lando Norris at his very best. Lando Norris wins the Hungarian Grand Prix. Beautiful. What a race weekend that was. A first win for Lando Norris as world champion. So where do each of the top teams go from here? Let's start with Mercedes. For Kimi Antonelli, it's got to be business as usual, surely. He doesn't have to change a thing. 50 point buffer, teenager living his dream, leading the world championship. Yeah. I mean, when you are leading the world championship, all you've got to do is not be pressurized by the position of leading the world championship. Sounds easy, doesn't it? But wait, you know, it's going to be tricky. And as he homes in on a little bit of an uncertain end to the season as well in terms of the events and so on, he's going to have to deal with that ever mounting pressure. I think that's his main challenge. Across the garage, George has got to do something different. Congratulations to George Russell and Carmen, who are engaged. That was a wonderful summer break moment. How much of that will be a boost to him, do you think, after a wonderful summer? Do you think happiness in your personal life will give you anything? I think we could all say that, you know, happy personal life. You turn up, you're feeling good about things. He's also been able to just switch away from it. I'm sure he's not thinking about Formula One when he's on one knee and making proposals. So yeah. So I think it's just so good that he can take himself away because that was a really rough run of races that he had is not been easy for him since Melbourne and he needs to needs to reset. So it's the perfect thing. You have a few weeks of enforced shutdown. Go and spend it away. Something big on your mind as well. And he does need a response. The pressure is not only on Kimi with the title, it's on George with the title as well. This is best ever shot might stay as his best ever shot in Formula One to make the difference here. So now is the time that the excuses have got to go and you've got to put it on the on the paper. 59 points is George Russell's deficit to Kimi Antonelli with Lewis Hamilton between them. George Russell saying he needs to drive more instinctively for Mercedes, though the challenge actually has got greater. They are no longer that step ahead that we were seeing at the start of the year. McLaren have closed the gap. Ferrari have closed that gap. Who is the biggest threat to them here, do you think? I think for this weekend, I'm looking at actually both McLaren and Ferrari being really quick is Max's home turf as well. He's always good here. So it's very, very open. But particularly for me, it's Lando Norris. I think he's got great form around this circuit. And I didn't go quite right for him last year, but generally the pace has been there a lot. He won here a couple of years ago and McLaren bought upgrades that worked well in Hungary. We're expecting more on the car for this weekend to complete that package. And it's a circuit that's not that dissimilar to Hungary. It's not superpower sensitive where they've had a little bit of a Lots of fast corners. They were quite strong in Budapest. They had decent curb riding in Budapest as well through that chicane. There's some cambered quirks around here. There's some curbs you have to take as well. So I think this could be another opportunity for McLaren. I think the concern for McLaren here will be the wind, because we've seen that car throughout this year so far, and that's going to be the key difference from Hungary. We've seen that car throughout this year struggle a little bit, particularly in the crosswinds. But when you look at the profile of their performance, they should be another step ahead of Ferrari here in the medium and higher speeds. They were better than the Ferrari Hungaring in the championship. I think Ferrari and specifically Lewis Hamilton are more of the challenge to Mercedes. At this point, Lewis has completed every racing lap of this year in comparison to in comparison to the Mercedes who've had their various reliability gremlins and all of that kind of thing. And if Lewis just keeps on delivering consistent performances, maybe taking some of the penalties and the mistakes out of the races, I think he's a genuine threat to Kimi Antonelli. Let's talk penalties, though, because you were scathing in F1 Nation, Jolyon, to Ferrari. Sloppy was your word. I think you repeated it three times. But when you've got penalties like a false start, speeding in the pit lane and impeding Oscar Piaggio, who, by the way, Lando Norris, Lawrence Barreto, has run off to go and interview just to let you know he hasn't just walked off and couldn't be bothered. But those three penalties, sloppy, you branded them. They're all sloppy, aren't they? What else can you call them? One's a jump start. You could call it sloppy. You could call it a little bit twitchy. I don't know. But it's a basic error. Pit lane speed limit issue for Lewis. He pressed the button too early before the line. What else do you want to call it? You know, it's a basic error. The other one that was particularly sloppy was the impeding on Piastri in Hungary. That is the definition of sloppy. Someone's not being aware of what's going on. It's his race engineer. That one's on Carlo Santi. Keep an eye on it. Okay, Lewis can check the mirrors as well and maybe have a little bit of a knowing what's going on because he's just got to get back to the pits at that point. Sloppy. I'll say it again. But the pace was there as well in Hungary. So I said, you know, McLaren was strong. Lewis was on the front row. Some provisional pole there as well. We didn't really get a great chance to see what they could do in the race because they were mired in traffic. And I think they've just got to be pretty much perfect if they're going to be champions this year. Hey, it's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari. They can put championship pits together, but they have to be better than the last run of races. I excused the Belgian one because I think that was a racing incident. And I don't think Lewis could have done that much about it. I think that was a harsh penalty. But the other ones, you don't often get the chance with the pace of car they've got to win the title with those sort of errors, I think. I'm also really interested to hear what Piastri has to say after, of course, impeded in qualifying and then Carlos Sainz contact in Hungary and then ultimately the DNF as well, a torrid one. And of course, he was winner here around this great circuit last time out. Who better to talk us round Zandvoort than Max Verstappen though. The man he calls this place home. Let's hear from him. Max, what's Zandvoort like as a location to race? What's the atmosphere like? It's a great atmosphere for me, actually, being Dutch. So, yeah, I always enjoy coming there. It's quite unique also the location of the track. You don't see that very often. So, yeah, for me, it's always just nice to be there. It's time for qualifying by the side of the beach. Here we go. It's just a great track, great corners, proper commitment, tyre overheating comes into play. And yeah, it's a technical track as well to get right. Just really old school. It's hard to find the limit because if you make a tiny mistake, it can be quite a big off. So that's already in its own is the hardest bit, I would say. This is turn seven and you see the underside of the car, the sparks and the floor running against it. Great direction change. Which part would you say is the most technically challenging? I would say the middle sector because it's very fast, but at the same time, it can be wide in places, narrow in others. That is an absolutely mesmeric middle sector. Where has he found that lap time? So to get everything right there, it's not the easiest. Also with the wind playing a factor at the seat. So I like it. It's so impressive. Speeds of 160 miles an hour or so through the middle of that turn, just pushing that car into the tarmac. Through the final corner, you can see how quick it is. It's just a dab of brake and turn it in. An incredible a brilliant qualifying performance from Max Verstappen. Can he do something special here? Can he do it on home soil for one final time? All eyes in the crowd will be on Max Verstappen, won't they? And what a track this is. Let's look at the midfield teams, shall we? As I just spray my notes all over the desk there. Alpine, Audi, Cadillac, Aston Martin, Haas. Who is catching your eye out there? There were a couple of big upgrades this weekend in the midfield. Sounds like Alpine going to get an upgrade that we're hearing is going to go on Pierre Gasly's car first and may follow for Franco Colopinto. Then there's a Honda engine upgrade to go with the chassis upgrade that came earlier in the season for Aston Martin. They lost nine tenths of a second in just the straight areas of the track still in Hungary. So it's going to be interesting if that to go with the chassis upgrade is going to give them another step forward after Alonso arrived in Q2 for the first time this season. Yeah, I think it's interesting to see if Alpine can get back towards racing bulls. Obviously, Yuki's in the racing bull car. If Gasly's got some upgrades on the car, it could be a chance for him to get some points back. And I totally agree. I mean, the rest of it is just how much can Honda put on the car to get Fernando potentially towards the points? He needs to find about a second from Hungary. So I don't think they're going to quite get there. But if they can become established midfielders now, that would be really encouraging. Audi have done well in the last few races. Can they keep nudging points? It should suit them, I think, this circuit. On Aston, we're also expecting aero upgrades as well through to Monza through to Baku. What constitutes success for Aston Martin, not just over these few run of races, but through the second half of this season? I want to see some genuine points. Obviously, Fernando is amazing that he's managed to get that point in Monaco is ridiculous, to be honest. But I want to see them actually threatened to get towards the fringes of points. And other teams has they're really struggling. They've not put any sort of performance on the car. Alpine are just falling away. There's opportunities there with with some of those teams that are allowing Aston if they can put good parts on the car to fight. So can they actually have the speed to merit points? Lawrence Barreto is doing what he does best and speaking to racing drivers. And he's normally the man with all the information on the driver market. I'm going to come to you, Alex Brundle. No pressure. But what are we hearing in terms of Colopinto's seats, whether Alpine are choosing to stick with him, where Alonso may end up? Certainly that has seat as well with Esteban Ocon. There are a few waiting in the wings, aren't there? Yeah, Esteban Ocon's seat is the one that's sort of up for discussion. Could it be Leonardo Fornaroli, who was Formula Two champion last year? Could it be the Ferrari associated Rafa Camara in that seat? Or indeed, will Ocon keep it? No information yet about Franco Colopinto's ride. Fernando Alonso said he would make a decision over the summer break as to what he was going to do. But no such decision has been made. I think he is waiting to see what the performance of that Honda engine upgrade will be. And he said he's going to have a sit down with Adrian and Lawrence after that. He'll stay. Fernando will stay again. I think Aston Martin need him. I thought Carlos Sainz maybe would look to to Aston Martin, maybe Alex Albon. But with those guys staying, I think Aston don't have any any big options to go and they they will need a top driver to go there. So I think Fernando stays. I think Esteban Ocon's really in trouble. I don't think he's had a bit of a strained relationship now with Haas. He's not performed. And yeah, that's the big seat. I expect Colopinto to stay. He's actually driven really well since Miami. I agree. I think if I was doing the report and then Palmer steams in with the opinion. But I think if Fernando was going to go, we'd know by now. And I think that a Q2 appearance will be enough. But maybe Fernando knew that Williams are going to announce both their drivers. Max Verstappen was going to come in there and slam an announcement and thought, I'm going to wait and have my own time during my own race. I think Aston Martin is still quite a good prospect. If you're Sainz or Albon Williams, you saw big, big name drivers further down the field, because I believe I believe that Aston can turn it around. You know, they've got the parts in place, you think, for the long term. And I think Fernando will know that as well. So we'll see this weekend. It will be a big test to see if they can jump up because obviously Honda have got the worst power unit in the field, which means they've got the most to gain. And if they can put a lot of performance on there, they should be genuinely competitive. What a story it would be if they do indeed do that and to do it here as well. But it is a sprint weekend. So the challenge is fierce. Let's take a look at the schedule, shall we, and how things stack up for your weekend's viewing for the Dutch Grand Prix. OK, Friday, we're building up to the one hour of practice from 12.10. Sprint qualifying comes in the afternoon at ten past four and then on to Saturday and it's straight to the grid. It always catches you by surprise on a Saturday morning just as you're enjoying your coffee by the beach and you think, oh, my goodness, I better get out there. It's the pre sprint show that comes to you at eleven fifteen. Sprint race itself starting at midday. The post sprint show with all of the analysis just afterwards. Then your pre qualifying show back to Grand Prix format. Twenty five past three. Qualifying begins at four p.m. Post quali show with all of the reaction straight afterwards. And Sunday race day, the first one for a while. And we are so glad to be back ten to two for the pre race show. Three p.m. Start for the Dutch Grand Prix, the final one that we will see here and then post race show as ever straight after that podium. Podium speaking of who's on it, guys. Life of luxury for you, isn't it? Coffees on the beach Saturday morning, strolling to work, right? Let's do some telly. I'm just going to throw you under the bus here, Julian. We were all here slaving away in rehearsals for the show, getting ready. Who saunters over here in the paddock to go and get a coffee? This guy, this guy, the team. I'm not playing for the team. I'm not playing. You did offer it out to be fair. You did offer prediction. Oh, yeah. I'm going to stick to my guns and say it's going to be I think it's going to be for the podium. I think Lando Kimi Max is my is my top three. Yeah, I think Lando wins the Grand Prix. And then I think Verstappen is second. And then I would put Kimi in third. Is that what you said? So no Ferrari. No, I switched it around. You didn't swap second and third. Yeah. OK, what's yours? Ferrari won two. It's very hard to argue with that podium, isn't it? But where do we do we not think Ferrari get in the mix? They should be in the mix, but there's too many to put in there. You know, someone's got to miss out. So well, Ferrari can save it for Monza. And the second half of the season. I mean, who knows if we're going to see a Mercedes winner? Yeah, Ferrari can save it to Monza where Mercedes will win. I think in current form books. But it is absolutely wide open. You know, we've had we've had 11 different podiums so far. And the big start in the last four races, nine points separates the top six in the championship. Did you crunch all those numbers yourself? Thank you, James. Thank you, James. That's a great start. We will take from you five different winners in five races. Can we make it six from six or will we see a repeat winner? It's all to play for here at the Dutch Grand Prix. That's your weekend warm up. We'll see you tomorrow for free practice and sprint quali. Bye for now. Welcome to the second part of the season. This is Zandvoort and it is a cracker of a layout. The Dutch Grand Prix is under way. Max Verstappen takes the lead. What a great move from Fernando Alonso to bring the crowd to their feet and barging through is Charles Leclerc. Wow, it's epic around here. A super move, wheels. That is what hunger looks like. He was not going to give it up. Max Verstappen, another home victory. Lando Norris wins. Oscar Piastri, the crowd cheering him home. What a Dutch Grand Prix to remember.